Kirsten O'Brien

Tales from the media hinterland

Early on in what feels rather like a light-hearted corporate seminar for C-List celebrities, Kirsten O’Brien talks of her status as a ‘borderline boiler’ and the probability of male audience members having entertained bedroom fantasies for the toothy northern lass. And this sums up the show rather well, Confessions of a Children’s TV Presenter never proving wholly shocking to most but distant enough from her SMart persona to engage with an adult audience.

The pally CBBC presenter is unsurprisingly bubbly on stage as she peppers tales of the kitsch and famous with embarrassing titbits from her personal life as a common or garden, everyday media type. As if rehearsing her televisual farewell, the show is bookended by clips of her on-screen antics, and the presence of the CBBC props department cements an endearing TV nostalgia appeal. In all fairness, this is a performance to raise titters rather than belly laughs. (Mark Edmundson)Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 27 Aug, 2.10pm, £7.50–8.50 (£6–£7).